Independent Canadian news and analysis for the nonprofit sector

Up-to-the-minute view of Canadian major gift fundraising

The statistics look great, but they're a year or two old.
That's why KCI convened round table
discussions all across the country this spring to see whether the early promise
of Canadians' increased giving in 2010 (reported by Statistics Canada in November 2011) and the North American uptick for
the first six months of 2011 (Blackbaud)
are still delivering.

Here are some of the developments KCI reported in its spring
issue of Philanthropic Trends Quarterly.

Cautious optimism

The fundraisers who spoke with KCI conveyed hope and
enthusiasm, while noting that we are in a period of "business as unusual." The 24/7
news cycle emphasizes and deepens the impact of short-term market fluctuations,
making individual Canadians and institutions more anxious about their financial
well-being. Nothing can be taken for granted.

Core activities need
private support

The balance among governments, the private sector and
individual Canadians is shifting, with the first two sectors shrinking their
share of funding for core priorities such as patient care in hospitals, keeping
the lights on in arts institutions or delivering education in educational
institutions. Private donors are increasingly paying for the meat, not just the
sauce. That makes fundraising central to the organization's mission and a core
function of the organization.

Peripheral vision

"Peripheral vision" is the term KCI uses to describe
responsiveness to change. It involves questioning assumptions, being open to
new ideas and processes, and exploring new ways to deliver mission and stay
relevant to its funders. And, far from the old model of governments as
disbursers and nonprofits as recipients, nonprofits have begun to partner with
governments on jointly funded projects.

Major giving alive
and well

In the first three months of 2012, KCI knows of "at least 43
gifts of more than $1 million made to Canadian charities by individuals,
corporations and foundations, totaling $275 million," including the largest
private gifts ever to Sick Kids
Foundation, CAMH Foundation and Le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal.

But those donors are changing. They look harder at the
organization, its case, and how it will use their specific donations, and they
want longer pledge periods (seven or even ten years).